Interchangeable Baseball Cap and Constructed Visor in One

ABSTRACT

A modular head wear system includes a base cap structure defined by seams, an inner head band, a base band, and a front section. The base cap structure is adapted to receive interchangeable panels that fit over the openings.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/861,820, filed Aug. 23, 2010, which itself claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/274,819, filed on Aug. 21, 2009.Each of these applications is incorporated by reference in its entiretyas if set forth fully herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of head wear such as hats and capshaving modular components that are replaceable and interchangeable forvarying the look, function, and uses of the hat.

BACKGROUND

Caps, hats, and other kinds of head wear are useful for a variety ofpurposes, yet each purpose requires a different characteristic in thehat. Most individuals buy a separate hat or cap for each purpose becausethe hats are not interchangeable. Over time various attempts have beenmade at constructing hats and caps with more versatility, especially bymaking components within the structure of the hat interchangeable or atleast removable. One kind of innovation in this regard is shown inpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/116,976 (Hoyez 2002)(published as document No. 2002/0162157). Hoyez shows an unconventionalapproach to having openings in a hat's structure. Instead of a standardopening for placing over a wearer's head and an opening at the back of acap for sizing, Hoyez shows an opening in the front portion of a cap. Inone embodiment, the wearer is a female and the front opening allows forhair styles used with the opening.

An early example of a removable hat structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No.2,436,434 (Josephs 1943). Josephs shows an interchangeable type of hator cap in which the stretcher ring that fits across the top or crown ofthe hat inside of a military style cap (particularly a navy officer'scap). This upper interior region of the cap also incorporates an areafor attaching a label. The attachment area may be a pocket inside thecap for placing a removable card therein.

Adding functionality to a hat can also be accomplished as set forth inU.S. Pat. No. 5,181,277 (Sherman 1993). Sherman shows a cap that isentirely reversible for added functionality. The hat is separable alongone seam, reconnected during use by a detachable and re-attachableheadband encircling the interior of the hat. The head band attaches by astandard hook and loop connector. The detachable seam allows for turningthe cap inside out for wearing two different styles with a single cap.

Constructing a hat of modular components has been the subject of priorefforts in hat technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,246(Alexander 1997) shows a hat with a removable and replaceable billattached by a zipper to the front of a hat. Proctor, in U.S. Pat. No.5,862,523, shows a modular hat with a crown portion that attached byhook and loop connectors to a headband portion. The bill of the hat isalso detachable and interchangeable via hook and loop connectorsattached between the bill and the head band that encircles the inside ofthe crown portion. Proctor also shows that the crown portion has asection for hook and loop connection of various interchangeable insigniaon the outside of the hat. Another kind of modular hat is set forth inpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/227,273 published asdocument No. 2006/0053527 (Schneider). Schneider uses layers construct ahat by overlaying the layer on a hat forming base.

Head wear other than standard caps has also been the subject ofinnovation. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,821 (Adams 2000), a turban style ofhead wear can be converted to a hat with a wide brim. The head apparelhas a plurality of pieces that join in a circular pattern about the headand form a kind of pocket around the crown portion of the head wear. Thecircular pieces can be folded out to form a brim about the wearer'shead. Decorating hats with brims is also the subject of U.S. Pat. No.6,728,972 (Whitley 2004) (showing temporarily attached fabric coveringand decorating a hat structure) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,696 (Oliver1997) (showing a slip cover for a hat with a brim).

Hats are often used as elements of style, clothing accessories,statements about the person wearing the hat, avenues for marketing, andsurfaces for advertising trademarks and service marks. Making the hatmore versatile to serve these purposes is useful in the art of head weartoday. Accordingly, head wear has received a good bit of attention forits ability to gain attention and to make statements (both literal andnon-literal). In this regard, designers and engineers have used hats andother headwear as platforms for ingenuity. For example, in U.S. Pat. No.6,311,332 (Lien 2001), a hat is shown having a transparent windowinstalled along the front of the hat. Different inserts fit within thewindow (i.e., between the crown of the hat and the window) to change thelook of the front of the hat.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,377 (Ashy 2007) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,000 (Fulton2009) continue with the idea of adding stylized attachments to theexterior of hats for varying the look and purpose of a hat. Ashyattaches advertising media to the exterior of the hat by Velcro® and/ormagnets. Fulton attaches a novelty item, such as a toy race car, to thebrim or bill of a hat, by appropriate means for inserting the itemtherein. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,139 (Van Den Heuvel 1999), advertisingmedia are attached to the back of the hat, over the sizing straps andthe associated openings, by hook and loop connectors. Van Den Heuvelpreceded that idea with U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,047 (1997) that shows theadvertising media pinned over the sizing straps of a hat.

In a different embodiment showing attachments to an exterior of headwear, U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,629 (Gleason 1995) shows a cap having a frontportion made of either hook or loop fabric, and attachment media aremade of the opposite hook or loop fabric. Accordingly, Gleason's capallows for attaching multiple kinds of accessories to a cap made forthat purpose.

Although head wear has been the subject of prior updating efforts, aneed exists in the art for head wear that allows for interchangingportions of the head wear for an entirely different look, function, andpurpose. This need is met by the head wear system and products shownherein that allow for versatility in a finished product that has anicely tailored look.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, the head wear shown and described herein defineshemmed and smooth edges between the standard seams of a cap to formopenings in the structure of the cap. The openings allow the user toattach various inserts, patches, or panels that provide unique patterns,colors, or even surfaces for displaying advertising. The panels may beattached by any know means, including buttons, pins, hook and loopconnectors, and the like. Other panels may be attached by sliding intopockets formed around the openings. The head wear may incorporate apocket on the interior or underside of the head wear to storereplacement panels inside the hat.

In other embodiments, the removable and interchangeable panels may covervarying percentages of the hat structure. In caps that include a billand a crown portion, the crown portion may be divided into sections bythe seams of the crown portion. In this embodiment, a base cap structuremay provide only the seams and allow the wearer to attach entirely newpanels to every section formed by the seams of the cap. In otherembodiments, only certain sections of the cap are removable orinterchangeable and others are permanently attached. The hook and loopconnectors may be located on the seams of the base cap structure orbetween the seams of the base cap structure. Corresponding connectorsare located on the interchangeable panels that are intended to at leastpartially cover the holes or openings formed and defined by the seamsand/or fabric between the seams. The connectors may be located on theinterior of the base cap structure or on the exterior of the base capstructure.

In another embodiment of the head wear described herein, a cap may havea decorative band across the front of the crown portion, just above thebill. The decorative band may be removable or permanent and may be madeof elastic material. Removable decorative bands may be used to holdbeads, charms, or other decorations. In embodiments utilizing adecorative band of elastic material, the band may stretch over the billto form a chin strap for holding a hat to a wearer's head.

In yet another embodiment, the decorative band may be attached by a pinor hook that holds the decorative band to the head wear. The pin or hookmay also be decorative or engraved with various insignia for addedpersonalization.

Another embodiment of the head wear described herein allows for agrommet to be permanently affixed, clamped, or sewn into the fabric ofthe hat. The grommet is available for added attachments and may even bethreaded to hold attachments more securely.

A slip cover is also shown for decorating the bill of a standard cap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a modular cap having a base capstructure and interchangeable panels connected inside the crown portionof the cap as described herein.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the modular cap having a base capstructure and interchangeable panels connected to the exterior of thecrown portion of the cap as described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a modular cap with the interchangeable panels fitting onthe interior side of the crown portion of the cap.

FIG. 4 shows a modular cap with the interchangeable panels fittinginside the cap and having a net configuration.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a cap having seams that define sections ofthe crown portion of a cap and portions of the cap defining openingswithin the cap for receiving interchangeable panels therein.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a cap defining an opening in a frontsection of the cap and an interchangeable panel for fitting therein.

FIG. 7 shows the interchangeable panel of FIG. 6 connected to theinterior of the cap of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of the cap of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 shows a modular cap as described herein and having an inner headband that forms a pocket for storing interchangeable panels therein.

FIG. 10A shows a modular cap according to this description and having adecorative band attached to the front of the cap across the bill.

FIG. 10B shows an embodiment of the cap of FIG. 10A wherein thedecorative band serves as a chin strap.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the modular cap of this invention andhaving a grommet attached therein and a clip attached to the grommet.

FIG. 12 shows the grommet of FIG. 11 as being threaded to receive acorresponding insert.

FIG. 13 shows a slip cover for placing over the cover of a bill of acap.

FIG. 14 shows the slip cover of FIG. 13 in place over the bill of thecap of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15 shows the back side of a cap having a grommet in place along aback seam.

FIG. 16 shows the grommet of FIG. 15 threading to a clip type of insert.

FIG. 17 shows a base cap structure having only a base band with no seamsand a full crown insert panel connecting to the base band to form a cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A modular head wear assembly allows for a user to incorporate removableand interchangeable pieces and parts into a hat or cap. As used herein,the term head wear encompasses all kinds of garments, accessories,tools, and equipment that a user places and wears on the head,particularly but not limited to the human head. Common kinds of headwear described herein include hats of all types. Terms such as “caps”and “hats” are used in their broadest senses and may be usedinterchangeably for clarity without limiting the invention. Traits ofthe system described herein may be used in all kinds of hats or caps andstill be within the spirit of the overall invention.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of one embodiment of the modular head wearsystem described herein. In FIG. 1 the head wear is in the form of a cap(10), but the cap shown in the figure does not limit the kinds of headwear applicable to the technology described herein. A cap is useful asan example because caps typically include seams extending cross the top,or crown portion of the cap (10). As used herein, the crown portion of acap extends from an outer base band (19) to the top of the cap (10). Thebill (11) extends from the front of the cap. Seams 14A, 14B, 14C, and14D divide the cap into front and side sections. Front section (5)connects to the bill (11). The seams (14A-14D) may be made of thickerfolds of fabric and may vary in width. The seams may be reinforced withany stiffening material known in the art, including but not limited toplastics, metals, wires, nonwovens, paper, or layers of fabric.

The seams (14A-14D) and the base band (19) may be considered as a basecap structure that holds together sections of the cap (10). As shown,for example, in FIG. 5, sections of the cap (10) may include sidesections (12), a front section (18), and seams (14) connected thesections. The side sections, the front section, and the seams may beformed of materials having varying levels of rigidity. The front section(18) is often the most rigid and gives a standard cap (10) a particularshape. The rigidity of the front section (18) may be varied by knownmeans, such as fabric type, fabric thickness, or internal stiffenersincluding plates or foundational materials within layers of fabricmaking up the front section. The seams (14) may be even more rigid thanthe front section (18), but that comparison is at the option of thedesigner. The sections (12) of the hat or cap are often of anintermediate rigidity and may even be purely soft fabric for comfort.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, the sections of the cap (10) defined byseams (14A-14D) create openings (17) on either side of the cap (10). Theopenings have edges (or at least one continuous edge) (17A, 17B, 17C) todefine any desirable shape. The edges of the openings may be formed bythe seams (14) themselves or may be independently formed edges withinthe fabric or material of the cap sections (12) between the seams. Themodular cap (10) includes a system of inserts or panels (20A, 20B) thatfit over the openings (17) and cover the openings to allowinterchangeable panel designs to show through the openings. The panels(20A, 20B) incorporate a means of connecting the panels to the structureof the cap. In the example of FIG. 1, the connectors are hook and loopconnectors on the interior of the base cap structure and on the outerregions of the panels (20A, 20B). FIG. 1 shows the hook and loopconnectors as continuous around all edges, but intermediate sections ofthe hook and loop connectors would also serve the same purpose. Otherconnectors, such as buttons, snaps, pins, etc. are also within the realmof possibilities for attaching the panels (20A, 20B) over the openingsin the cap.

In one embodiment, not explicitly shown in the Figures, the panels mayfit within the openings to form a continuous and smooth connectionbetween the edges (17A-17C) of the openings (17) and the sides of thepanels (20A, 20B). In this embodiment, the panels (20A, 20B) would haveflaps that connect inside the hat and surface portions that are raisedto the thickness of the opening (17) for a smooth and seamless fitinside the opening. In this way, the panels (20) may have surfacesections that fit continuously with appropriate sections (18) of thecaps.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the cap (10) in which the panels(30A, 30B) fit on the exterior of the cap via connector portions, suchas hook and loop connectors (25) positioned on the exterior of the cap.

Whether the panels (20A, 20B, 30A, 30B) are connected inside the headwear or on the exterior of the head wear, the panels offer anopportunity for customizing a base cap structure (including, for exampleonly, a base band (19) and seams (14)) and forming multiple kinds ofhead wear with a single base cap structure. The panels may be made ofmultiple kinds of fabric, plastics, nonwovens, paper, or any otherconvenient materials. The panels may include numerous decorativeelements including but not limited to patterns, colors, words, emblems,shapes, and all kinds of art work. FIG. 3 shows a panel of FIG. 1 inplace in a modular cap. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the panel is a netmaterial (45) that allows for cool ventilation of the base capstructure. FIG. 6 shows that the front portion of a cap may define anopening via front opening edges (57A, 57B, and 57C). A front sectionpanel (58) fits over the opening of the front section for the look shownin FIG. 7. Companion connectors (55, 56) hold the panel (58) inside thecap. Again, all features of the panels described above are incorporatedin regard to the panel structure of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 shows a top view ofthe cap of FIG. 6 with the front section panel (58) removed. The baseband (19) helps to maintain the overall shape of the cap. In a differentembodiment, the seams of the cap may define a back portion that isadapted to receive a panel as well.

FIG. 9 shows another feature of the modular cap system described herein.In FIG. 9, the interchangeable panels (98A, 98B) for covering thecorresponding openings in the cap may be stored within the cap itself Anouter base band (99) helps maintain the shape of the cap and eitherattaches or incorporates via a fold an inner head band (110) thatconnects around the crown portion of the assembled cap and to the bill(91). The inner head band includes at least a portion with an open hemthat forms a pocket (110). The pocket may be in the form of a wider andopen region (105) of the inner head band (110). The pocket is useful forcarrying personal items, such as but not limited to additional panels(98B) that fit into the pocket in direction of arrow (112). This allowsthe user to change the panels at any time during use. In thisembodiment, the base cap structure includes the bill (91), the base band(99), the seam (94), a front portion (not shown), and an inner head band(110).

The embodiment of FIG. 10A brings forth yet another useful feature inthe form of a front band (150) that is attachable by hooks (155A, B).The hooks may be configured to allow the front band to be removed orthey may permanently attach the front band. In embodiments using aremovable front band (150), the front band may be decorated with beads,charms, jewelry, or other accessories that hang from the front band(150). FIG. 10A also shows that side openings (160, 170) may incorporatemore than one kind of panel under the hat. The modular system allows formixing and matching panels in a single base cap structure. As shown inFIG. 10B, the front band (150) may be formed of an elastic structurethat allows the front band (150) to stretch over the bill of the cap andserve as a chin strap for holding the hat or cap in place.

FIGS. 11 and 12 shows that a grommet may be incorporated into manyplaces on the hat or cap. The grommet (200) allows for anotherattachment point for accessories, such as a clip (205) for example. Theposition of the grommet (200) is not limited to those shown in thefigures. In one example, the grommet may have threads (210) foraccepting threaded attachments (215, 225). The attachments to thegrommet may be utilitarian, such as clips (205, 425) and still serve astylistic purpose (e.g., the logo of attachment 225). The grommet may beused to coincide with and match the hooks (150) described above.

FIG. 13 uses the bill (311) as a point for attaching accessoriesincluding a slip cover (315). The slip cover allows for protecting thebill and keeping it clean as well as another way of usinginterchangeable covers to change the look of the cap. FIG. 14 shows theslip cover in place.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show other examples of the grommet (200) in the back ofthe cap. In one embodiment, the grommet may connect an attachment clipthat has a particular shape. One desirable attachment clip on themodular hat may include a means of holding sunglasses or eyeglasses,particularly folded glasses.

FIG. 17 shows another embodiment of a base cap structure that has a bill(511), a front section (518), and base band (519). A skull cap insert(550) fits inside the base cap structure to form the crown of theoverall cap.

Overall, the modular head wear system described herein allows forremovable and interchangeable panels to be used with a base capstructure. One should note, however, that different embodiments maycombine different kinds of panels in one cap embodiment. The panels maybe affixed to one another or separate and in some embodiments may beaffixed to the cap permanently. In this regard, the invention describedherein incorporates layers of fabrics attached to a base cap structure.Overlying pieces of fabric may be permanently attached to certainportions of the cap to achieve a desired look with a useful function,such as ventilation.

As noted above, the base cap structures may include seams, base bands,inner bands, and portions of fabric. All portions of the head weardescribed herein may include rigid materials to add shape as necessary.For example, plastics, metals, or any other rigid material may be sewnor formed into any portion of the modular system described herein forsupporting panels as noted above. The panels (20, 30), the grommet(200), the front band (150), and other components may include, withoutlimitation, permanently affixed plastic, metal, glass, or othermaterials as desired.

The invention is set forth further in the claims below.

1. A modular head wear item comprising: edges defining at least oneopening in the head wear item; at least one panel removably attached tothe head wear item and at least partially covering the opening in thehead wear item.
 2. The modular head wear item of claim 1, wherein thehead wear item is a cap.
 3. The modular head wear item of claim 2,comprising a base cap structure.
 4. The modular head wear item of claim3, wherein the base cap structure comprises a base band and seamsdefining sections of a cap.
 5. The modular head wear item of claim 4,wherein the panels are connected between the seams on the interior ofthe cap.
 6. The modular head wear item of claim 5, wherein the panelsare connected between the seams on the exterior of the cap.
 7. A modularcap comprising a removable panel on at least one side of the cap,wherein the side of the cap extends between a front section and a backsection of the cap.
 8. A modular cap comprising a threaded grommetaffixed to the cap.
 9. A modular cap according to claim 8, furthercomprising an accessory connected to the threaded grommet.
 10. A modularcap comprising a removable front band extending across the top of a billof the cap.
 11. A modular cap according to claim 10, wherein the frontband comprises beading connected thereto.
 12. A modular cap according toclaim 11, wherein said front band is sufficiently elastic to stretchover a user's chin.